COVINGTON - Given the slew of candidates running for local office this political season, several forums have been scheduled to give voters all the information they need before heading to the polls for the July 15 primary.

The Voter's League of Newton County will host two forums in the coming weeks.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, candidates for the Board of Commissioners chairman, along with commission district seats 1, 2 and 3, will be on hand at the Newton County Historic Courthouse at 1124 Clark St.

The following week, at 7 p.m. June 16, candidates for District 2 Board of Education, District 5 Board of Commissioners, tax commissioner and sheriff will have their turn.

"There are so many candidates, we're trying to divide them up by district, and we will have Democrats and Republicans at both (forums)," Voter's League board member Angela White-Davis said.

The format will be an open floor, question/answer session, with audience members grilling the candidates, she said.

The forum will be moderated by Nat Harwell and representatives from local newspapers will ask questions. The audience will also have the opportunity to pose questions. Simpson asked that the public bring pre-written questions to deposit into a bowl, with the questions to be picked randomly by candidates during the forum.

The event will be taped and replayed on Charter Communications Channel 20 in the weeks leading up to the primary.